Leon to Lion
by BlasterBlurby
Summary: Unknown to most L.A. harbors one of the most extensive Underworlds, where demonic worship and monsters flourish, and Leon has just fallen headlong into a demonic war. Now he is transformed and bound to the very demon that seeks to overtake the city.
1. Prologue : Hostile Takeover

**Type:** Multi-Chapter

**Rating:** M

**Perspective:** First Person

**Pairing:** Leon X D

**Setting:** L.A.

**Summary:** Unknown to most L.A. harbors one of the most extensive Underworlds, where demonic worship and monsters flourish, and Leon has just fallen headlong into a demonic war. Now he is transformed and bound to the very demon that seeks to overtake the city. Can Count D save his dear detective before all of his humanity is gone?

**Comments: **I love African mythology and PSOH so put them together and you get this.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pet Shop of Horrors, nor am I benefiting monetarily from the story

Leon to Lion

Prologue : Hostile Takeover

Leeubaas was once a prince among his people, revered for his rare and treasured white complexion, but now he was lower than a commoner, he was an exile. Never again would he be able to step foot in his homeland without every demon turning against him.

This place that the humans call the city of angels was ironically a breeding ground for the occult. Demons from all different cultures congregated here, drinking in the filth of humanity and gathering worshipers. Though all demon-kind feed and gain power differently, being worshiped gives most demons tremendous power.

Leeubaas was surprised by how much he liked it here. The summer heat reminded him of home and he could find sustenance easily in the corrupt city. The only problem the demon had with it was the considerable demon population. No one likes a crowd.

Reaching out with ghostly pale hand he stroked the top of his pet's head. He once had many servants but they were all destroyed except for his beast Shiba. Lesser demons can call animals but it takes a powerful devil to force a human to become a beast, and despite his recent fall from grace Leeubaas is very powerful.

With his eyes still concentrated on the city spread before him like a sacrifice, he gave his orders.

"Find the demons' head priests and priestesses, kill them all."

Shiba didn't hesitate, after all her master's words were absolute. She would hunt them and she would kill them, just like the great cat she had become.


	2. These Dead Eyes That Hold Me Captive

**Type:** Multi-Chapter

**Rating:** M

**Perspective:** First Person

**Pairing:** Leon X D

**Setting:** L.A.

**Summary:** Unknown to most L.A. harbors one of the most extensive Underworlds, where demonic worship and monsters flourish, and Leon has just fallen headlong into a demonic war. Now he is transformed and bound to the very demon that seeks to overtake the city. Can Count D save his dear detective before all of his humanity is gone?

**Comments: **I love African mythology and PSOH so put them together and you get this.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pet Shop of Horrors, nor am I benefiting monetarily from the story

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**Leon to Lion**

Chapter 1 : These Dead Eyes That Hold Me Captive

Detective Leon Orcot was not animal control. So why was he rushing of to save a civilian from some "horrible monster" that a most-likely some deranged woman's delusion? Because of his obsession with D and the cases of his murdered clients his chief was severely pissed at him and ordered Leon to go patrolling residential areas, which was excruciatingly embarrassing for a detective with his track record. It was also really boring until he got the call from dispatch about the hysterical woman and what she called a "horrible monster".

_Ha_, Leon thought to himself, _most likely just a racoon that knocked over her trash cans_. But what made him put his foot on the accelerator was the very slim possibility that this "monster" could be one of D's so called "pets".

Being in the area it took Leon only a minute to get to the property. He parked his unmarked police car and slid his gun out of its holster and chambered a round. After hearing the satisfying click he opened the door and slid out. His eyes slid around, peering into the shadows, finding nothing the detective took a step. Then he heard a loud, familiar splintering noise, it was a door being knocked in, and then a woman's scream.

Leon abandoned his prior caution and ran to the front door and put his foot to it, the door burst open with the same crunching sound as before. Following the screams to the back of the small house he rounded a corner and entered the kitchen with his gun ready. What he found only shocked him for a moment before his adrenalin took over and he fired into the tawny fur that had the no-longer screeching woman pinned.

_A lion_, came a thought from the back of Leon's mind, _it's a fucking lion!_

The lion in question was not pleased at being shot and abandoned the woman and set his amber sights on Leon. The bullet to its back only seemed to distract the giant feline from her kill.

_No, her sights_, Leon thought as he remembered an animal planet show he watched a week before, _male lions have manes, this one doesn't_.

The detective's gun was still aimed but his fierce blue eyes had met the lioness' equally fierce yellow ones and he froze. Lucky for him the lioness seemed to have the same problem because she hadn't moved an inch either.

The ambient noises of the city seemed to fade away and were replaced with a seductive beat that made his heart pound and his skin prickle in anticipation. The noise, no music, called to something primitive inside him. The feral music hastened, speeding towards a climax, Leon's heart sped with it, his body coiled as if to spring, but abruptly the beat was gone, the moment over, and the lioness pounced.

Time seemed to slow. Leon saw the lioness' maw opening wide, flashing huge, lethal fangs aimed for his throat. He felt like they were submerged in water and every movement was sluggish. His arms raised, so slow, his fingered squeezed once, twice, three times sending bullets between the lioness' beautiful amber eyes.

Time sped on once again and the lioness barreled into him, burying Leon under her massive weight. Any moment the fierce beast would puncture Leon Orcot's neck and clench down until he suffocated, another fun fact he had garnered from the cornucopia of knowledge that is animal planet.

Almost a minute passed before Leon realized that he wasn't being suffocated and the lioness' mass was limp, she was dead. Leon's eyes met the lioness' eyes and his chest clenched painfully when he saw that they were glazed over and that he was the one who had stolen away that fierce light.

With a choking sob his arms encircled the limp body, holding the queen of beasts close, his grief fell from his eyes and into the tawny fur of his lioness. So wracked with guilt was detective Orcot that he hadn't noticed when a teenager walked through the shattered door frame. The male teen's steps were light as he moved over the dead woman and closer to the officer and his deceased pet.

"So you're the one who killed Shiba," said the boy. The cool voice shocked Leon and he tried to go for his gun but it and his body were trapped under Shiba. His panic rose as the white-haired boy squatted down; appraising Leon like he was an object the boy was interested in buying. The kid couldn't be older than 16 yet Leon was terrified by him, and the eyes now scanning his form a cold, pale green. Reaching out the boy grabbed Shiba by the neck and tossed her away like she was trash, then quicker than thought the boy took her place pinning down the detective. The boy's lips pulled back in a sinister smile, "As your punishment for killing my Shiba, you'll take her place," at this his eyes gleamed, "what's your name pussy cat."

/////

Jill could have been at home enjoying the attentions of her boyfriend but no, before she could leave the chief tells her about the call Leon was sent on and that he hadn't reported in yet, so naturally as the knuckle-head's current partner she has to go check on him. The bastard probably just forgot to call in, _he never forgets to call in_, and really he might not have even gone the woman had sounded crazy, _he would have gone even if the 911 call was about a boogeyman under some brat's bed_. Gritting her teeth against her pessimistic thoughts she put her foot on the gas and sped towards the address.

Turning onto the street a minute later she spots Leon's car and parks. Getting out her heart stops when she notices the driver-side door was hanging open. _Shit, something happened_, pulling out her gun she runs into the house and toward the back where she can hear voices. Just as Jill gets to the kitchen she can hear a scream, but not a human scream this sounded like an animal's. Rounding the corner her eyes take in the seen before, a dead woman, a dead lioness, a teenage boy, and the screeching mass pinned under the boy. Her mind refused to label it but the teenager was obviously hurting it and Leon was no where in sight. The boy had white hair even though he was young and his skin was just as white, the whiteness of his face made his pale green eyes stand out.

"Police! Step away from him kid," Jill shouted, though why she labeled the screaming creature a him she didn't know, but the boy didn't even spare her a glance. Jill repeated herself but the boy didn't move except to tighten his grip on the thing, causing it to scream even louder and the boy to grin. Being a police officer makes you suspect someone of a crime whether they are children or little old ladies, either can pull a weapon just as easily as anyone else. Because of this experience and the thought of her partner in jeopardy, she didn't hesitate in pointing her gun at the teen and firing a round into his shoulder.

The impact of the shot knocked him off of the poor creature, and Jill repeated herself this time also telling him to freeze, but just as last time the boy didn't spare her a glance, his pale green eyes fixed on the writhing creature.

"Well, you're to far gone to be helped now, my fierce Leon, though I would have preferred to wipe your humanity now, I can always finish that later," lying on his side the boy chuckled as the thing snarled, "don't be mad I just made you suit your name better kitten. And don't worry I'll be back to collect you later my newest pet."

With this the boy was on his feet and out the backdoor faster than Jill could fire. Not that she would have, she felt her heart and body freeze the moment the boy called the monster by Leon's name. Jill could feel herself sinking to her knees and her gun sliding to the ground as she beheld the writhing mass that was Leon. As she watched she could now see that it was changing as it writhed, becoming less human and more beast. Jill flinched when she heard his bones snap and saw his flesh curl.

Being a police woman and a feminist it hurt her pride to do it but the scene was just too much, Jill squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her hands over her ears to block it all out. She didn't know how long she sat like that, cowering from the reality of what her partner and dearest friend was becoming. Suddenly she felt a hot gust of air on her face and she couldn't hold back the scream that forced its way up her throat. When Jill finally worked up the courage she let her hands fall away from her ears and opened her eyes to an empty room except for the corpses of a woman and a lioness.

Jill felt numb, and when the police that the neighbors had called because of the screams came into the house she couldn't answer their questions. All the she could do was stare at the remains of Detective Leon Orcot's shredded clothing.


	3. A Human Heartbeat Inside A Lion's Chest

**Type:** Multi-Chapter

**Rating:** M

**Perspective:** First Person

**Pairing:** Leon X D

**Setting:** L.A.

**Summary:** Unknown to most L.A. harbors one of the most extensive Underworlds, where demonic worship and monsters flourish, and Leon has just fallen headlong into a demonic war. Now he is transformed and bound to the very demon that seeks to overtake the city. Can Count D save his dear detective before all of his humanity is gone?

**Comments: **I love African mythology and PSOH so put them together and you get this.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pet Shop of Horrors, nor am I benefiting monetarily from the story

1Leon to Lion

Chapter 2 : Can a Human Heart Beat Inside a Lion's Chest

Leon's head was heavy, heavier than it should have been, and it took effort to lift it from its position on the floor. He instantly regretted the movement, as it shot bolts of agony through-out his body. After the brunt of the pain had worn away Leon became aware of his surroundings. The first thing he saw was the body of the mauled woman he had been too late to save, then past her bloody form he could see Shiba the lioness crumpled in the corner, to which her body had been so callously thrown. He didn't understand why, but it hurt him more to see the defeated and abandoned lioness, than the dead human.

Behind him Leon could hear soft breaths. He tried to turn but his body wouldn't listen to him. He could just barely lift himself off the ground before he sank back to the floor. It didn't hurt as much as his first attempt, but he just couldn't seem to get his feet under him. _Am I really that injured?_ He thought. On his third attempt he was able get on all fours but he couldn't stand, exasperated Leon glanced down at his body and saw paws the size of dinner plates coming from golden-furred forelimbs that were definitely not human. At the sight he yet again slid to the floor, his mind reeling. _What did that white freak say?_

_"As punishment for killing Shiba you'll take her place."_

_Oh god no, please god no_, Leon prayed frantically. He lifted his right hand and the lion's right paw lifted, he set it down and as if in sync the paw went back down too. Twisting his large head around his eyes traveled over the feline back, his muscles twitched and he saw a long tail tipped with dark-gold fluff swing to the left. When the muscles twitched again the tail swung to the right. As he licked his lips Leon could feel his sandpaper tongue slide over a furred muzzle. Leon's eyes squeezed shut, trying to block out the reality that he was now stuck in a lion's body. _No, I'm a good cop and good cops don't have breakdowns during a crisis and they don't hide from the truth they accept it and do something about it._ That kick in pants was what he needed to force his foreign body into action.

Now that Leon knew he was supposed to be on all fours it was easier to gain his footing, walking was another story, and he fell twice before got himself turned to the only other living person in the room. _Jill, _Leon stared at the woman curled into a fetal ball, _why is she here?_

_Probably here to save my worthless hide, _he thought venomously. Walking unsteadily towards her it amazed him how little sound his feet/paws made on the linoleum. Getting close to her he opened his mouth to tell her he was okay, not that he really was, but his soothing words cut off when Jill screamed. Recoiling, Leon was shocked, he had never once heard this battle-hardened policewoman scream and he had been the one to cause it. Overcame with disgrace he turned and shambled out of the room, his head low and his tail dragging on the ground.

He could feel his ears swivel instinctively toward the police sirens in the distance, one of the neighbors must have heard the screams and reported it in. Soon the neighborhood would be filled with police and he'd be spotted. He had to get out of the immediate area, so he awkwardly trotted off, mostly staying in the shadows and taking advantage of what camouflage the sparse plant life could offer his enormous form.

Any second now he expected a housewife to spot him and start screaming like a banshee, but the only things that took notice of him were the animals. Birds and insects fell silent as he walked by and most backyard dogs followed suit, except for one ambitious little Pomeranian who began to bark its head off, trying to alert his owners to the large predator stalking past the house. _I'll be damned if that scrap of a pooch blows my cover_, thought Leon, getting an idea he tried to give a low snarl but the sound that came out sounded more like a slightly menacing cough. It did the trick though, and the little mutt hushed right up and ran for cover. Leon's ears and tail perked up in triumph, but fell when he realizes what he was doing. _Yeah good job Leon, you managed to scare a Pomeranian. Man-eating king of the jungle 1, fluffy little ankle-bitter 0. _

Continuing on his path out of the suburb it occurs to Leon that he could see perfectly in the dark and in color too. The night-vision didn't surprise him too much, but weren't animals supposed to see in black and white? Mulling over this Leon hadn't realized that he reached the end of the residential neighborhood until he nearly walked into the city. The stench of car exhaust and garbage made him gag. _I had never noticed how much the city stank before_, he thought, _three cheers for insensitive human noses. _

Leon hadn't thought of what he would do after evading the police. It was very late at night but he wasn't invisible, _somebody _was bound to notice a five-hundred pound kitty strolling through L.A. so going home wasn't an option. His sensitive cat ears picked up on a car coming down the street and he didn't have any cover besides a dilapidated rosebush a few feet away. Hurriedly Leon crouched behind the rosebush and prayed to every deity he could think of that he wouldn't be seen.

His hope shattered when he heard the car stop and a door open. Past the pounding of his heart in his ears he listened as someone got out, shut the door, and slowly walk towards his hiding place.

/////

Jill was ashamed of her reaction to Leon transformation, and that that moment of weakness had driven her injured partner to run off. _He needed my help now more than ever and what do I do? I bawl like a little girl when he breathes on my face! I sure am the poster-girl for feminine strength_, she rants to herself as she escapes the crime scene and gets into her car. _Maybe if I hurry I can find him before he does something stupid._

Buckling up Jill whips out of the driveway and speeds down the street all the while chanting, "Please let me find him in time. Please let me find him in time." She had one eye on the road and the other scanning the shadows, knowing that's where Leon would stick too, _which is assuming Leon was still in there_. Gritting her teeth at the thought she remembered that the kid had said that he hadn't taken away Leon's humanity yet. _He's still in there, I know it_.

Jill got even more frantic as she neared the city and hadn't seen a trace of Leon. As she was about to pull a u-turn her eyes lit on a slightly rustling rosebush. Applying the brake Jill leaned closer to the window and nearly laughed when she saw a lion tail sticking out of the plant. Relief flooded the policewoman as she slid out of the car and took a few steps closer to Leon's hidden form.

"Leon, come out I can see your tail," she said in a commanding tone, laughing when she saw an indignant-looking lion lift its head above the shrubbery and glare at her with icy blue eyes, Leon's eyes. _Well_, she thought retrospectively, _wasn't it Shakespeare that said "eyes are the windows to the soul"? Obviously as long as Leon retains his humanity, his eyes will be the same._

As Leon stumbled toward Jill and into the light a nearby streetlamp provided, she could see him clearer and her breath caught at the majesty of it. As a human Leon was attractive, as an animal he was stunningly beautiful. She knew in the cat family lions were only dwarfed by tigers but Leon seemed large even by tiger standards. His fur was like a lustrous version of his human hair. Before he came into the light Jill had thought his mane was brown but now she could see that it was more like a dark gold.

Jill was still gazing him when he impatiently butted his huge head into her midsection, nearly causing her to fall. The only thing that kept her on her feet was latching onto Leon's head for support. Leon made gruff sound in his throat that sounding like a sorry. Regretfully she released Leon's foam-soft mane when she regained her balance.

"You're forgiven," she said coolly, "Just don't do that again." Turning away Jill pulled her backseat door open and motioned for the giant cat to get in. It was awfully hard to keep a straight face as she watched Leon try unsuccessfully to get into her Buick. She would have laughed if he hadn't shot her a wrathful look when he noticed her amusement. After many attempts Leon was finally able to crawl into to the large car that just barely afforded him enough space to fit lying down across the seats.

"If you leave cat hair allover my interior I'm never going to let you ride in here again," joked Jill as she made a big show of gracefully sliding into the driver's seat. A menacing growl was all she got as a reply. As she drove into the lit up city Jill glanced into her rearview mirror to see a sulky lion, with only a moment's hesitation she turns into Chinatown. _I know that Leon won't like it, but where else can I possibly go with him looking the way he does? _

It only took a moment before Leon noticed their location and accosted her with growls and snarls. Leon's boisterous disapproval was the straw that broke the camel's back.

"And just where," Jill snarls right back, glaring at him through the mirror, "on God's green earth do you expect me to take you? Back to the station, so I can be locked up in the looney bin and you sent to the nearest zoo? Do you want to fix this? Well this guy is our only option, unless you don't mind having your humanity sucked out of you by that monster!" She hadn't realized that she was crying until she stopped yelling and felt the wetness rolling down her cheeks.

Leon was silent until they parked outside Count D's Pet Shop and the he let out a soft cough-like sound. Jill recognized it as questioning, and she knew that he was asking. How she knew Count D would help. _Because he has to, he just has to_, was her silent reply.


	4. A Beast's Humanity

**Type:** Multi-Chapter

**Rating:** M

**Perspective:** First Person

**Pairing:** Leon X D

**Setting:** L.A.

**Summary:** Unknown to most L.A. harbors one of the most extensive Underworlds, where demonic worship and monsters flourish, and Leon has just fallen headlong into a demonic war. Now he is transformed and bound to the very demon that seeks to overtake the city. Can Count D save his dear detective before all of his humanity is gone?

**Comments: **I love African mythology and PSOH so put them together and you get this.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pet Shop of Horrors, nor am I benefiting monetarily from the story

1Leon to Lion

Chapter 3 : A Beast's Humanity

Count D was sitting in the parlor behind the pet shop, enjoying his late night snack with T-Chan curled at his feet, and Pon-Chan sleeping on his lap. He had already finished tending to his nocturnal animals and would have normally gone to bed by now, but tonight he was restless. As he bit into his pastry he offered a piece to Q-Chan, who had just landed on his shoulder, but the winged-rabbit refused his offering and was instead staring at the curtain of beads that separated the front of the store from the back. Noticing what he was staring at, Count D was about to question him, but suddenly the silence was interrupted by loud knocks at the front door.

Count D was stupefied. _What kind of uncouth, vulgar person could possibly come to his door this late at night! _The rapping on the door became louder and with dread D realized this person wasn't going to go away on their own. First removing Pon-Chan from his lap, he then stood and straightened his garments. _It has to be Leon_, he thought grumpily, _he's the only one in this city with the audacity to come calling so late. _T-Chan uncurled from his ball and followed the Count to the front, hoping he could make a meal of the late night visitor. As he pulled back the beaded curtain he paused, contemplating Leon's reasons for coming so late and he smiled at his imaginings. _No, no I mustn't get my hopes up_, he chided his imagination, _it may not even be him_.

Reaching the large, wood door Count D pulled it open and to his utter astonishment found a disheveled Jill and a very large, male African lion standing on his stoop. Recovering quickly he was about to question them but before he could the easily five-hundred pound lion pushed past him and into the shop. T-Chan instantly went on the attack and hurled himself at the larger predator. The lion roared in pain when the totetsu sank his sharp teeth into its flank, and the roar reverberated in the small room, causing some small trinkets to shatter.

Count D watched in horror as the lion reached behind him and swatted the totetsu off like he was nothing but a fly. The young totestu was lying stunned on the ground from the blow when the giant cat pinned him with his claws, and readied to bite.

"No Leon!" yelled the policewoman who was still standing outside. The lion stopped his attack and looked up at Jill guiltily. The woman shut the door behind her as she came in and said in a more subdued tone, "Really Leon that thing's bite is more like a love nip now, but your bite could the little guy. How about you try turning the other cheek rather than killing Count D's pet. You know, the man who we're asking to help us?" Thoroughly chastened the lion released T-Chan and sat back on its haunches, its black-rimmed ears turned back and staring guiltily at the ground.

D was leaning against the wall for support; one thought reverberated in his mind. _Leon, Jill called that lion Leon_. Taking a deep breath the kami switched to his second sight, the sight that allowed him to see an animal's true form, and looked at the lion. The Count sank to ground at the sight; his body making a soft thump that caused the lion to turn its blue cold-fire gaze to him. Rather than seeing the form of a lion D saw the all too familiar shape of Detective Leon Orcot. His shirt was gone, leaving his golden, muscular chest bare. His shoes were also no where in sight, but his heavy denim jeans were still there, though they were ripped in some areas. Without a tie to constrict them, Leon's blonde hair had fallen around his handsome face and it gave him a wild appearance. Curling up from his hair was a set of very endearing lion ears, and D could see a fluff-tipped tail twitch behind the detective.

"D, can you hear me?" Leon asked hesitantly, his dear detective's cute, little ears flicking back and forth inadvertently.

"Yes Leon, I can," the kami said dully. His head was awhirl with this bombshell of a situation that had been so suddenly and unsuspectingly dropped in his lap. Leon stood and walked towards him slowly and more gracefully than D had thought the blundering detective was capable.

"Well, that's a relief," sighed the detective, crouching down to look the prone kami in the eye, "Jill can't hear me at all, though she's pretty good at guessing what I'm trying to say. So, what do you think D? Can you change me back into a human?"

"I–I don't know Leon, It depends on how you came to be this way," D answered uncertainly, deciding that he had made enough of a fool of himself, he rose from his undignified position on the floor. As he straightened his cheongsam Leon stood as well, and watched his face so intensely D couldn't help but look away.

There was a soft cough and D remembered that Jill was there too. Turning away from that piercing stare he addressed the other detective, "Perhaps we should have some tea while you recount your night, because Leon was most assuredly not a lion when he dropped by this morning." Count D didn't wait for an answer and slipped past the beads and into the parlor. As he poured two more cups of tea D noticed that his hands were shaking badly and it took him a moment to stop the trembling. By then Jill and Leon had entered the room, Jill sat at the couch opposite the one D was seated at. With a huff of annoyance Leon settled down on the ground, his weight being too much for D's furniture to handle.

"You can understand Leon, right D?" asked Jill desperately, it was obvious to the Kami how worried she was and D couldn't help the jealousy he felt towards her, even though he knew neither she nor Leon harbored those feelings for each other, but he could only ignore the irrational emotion.

"Yes I can, and if you wish I could help you understand him too," D said hesitantly. Even if Jill was an open-minded person she was still a cop and he wasn't sure if he should reveal the Pet Shop's secret to her. The relief on her face made the decision for him, reaching to a small container beside him D pulled out a stick of special incense and lit it. The intoxicating aroma filled the small room quickly. The Count knew that it had begun to take effect when Jill gasped at the sight of Leon in his new human form.

"Jill?" Leon's voice was hesitant.

"Leon! I can hear you! I can see you!" her head whipped around staring at D, "How did you do that?!"

Sighing D answered as vaguely as he could without eliciting more questions, "You wanted to see Leon this way I merely supplied the catalyst. Now if one of you would please explain to me how this," the kami waved a manicured hand at Leon, "happened."

Even though he could now be understood, Leon remained silent. He sprawled out on the floor and staring at the ceiling as if he could see through it. After a moment of silence Jill recounted to D her part of the story, including Leon's hellish metamorphosis. Count D's heart constricted at thought of his dear detective in so much pain, and even though on the outside he was a vision of calmness inside he seethed with rage. _How dare someone harm what is mine! _The whole time Leon remained quiet, if D couldn't have seen his blue eyes flashing in the dim lighting he would have thought Leon had fallen asleep. _Oh, how much pain he must be in! _

"Thank you Jill, but I still don't—"

"He made me drink his blood," Leon interrupted, his voice low and husky. "He held me down and I couldn't move. Then he asked my name and it was like I had to give it to him," to his amazement D saw tears building in the corners of Leon's eyes, he had never seen the hard as nails cop cry before, "When he heard it he laughed and slit his own throat, and forced me to drink it. After that I couldn't hear or see, I could only scream."

Leon rolled over on his side so D and Jill couldn't see his face, and Count D just couldn't bear the sight of Leon hiding his tears. Setting his tea down, he went to Leon and put a hand on the man's shoulder, turning him so their eyes met. The kami could see the pain in his detective's eyes and did something that he wouldn't have been able to do to a human. His touch drained away all the fears and pain the lion was suffering and made it disappear.

Smiling at Leon's relieved face he began to pull back but suddenly he couldn't let go, like the detective was a live wire, the kami could feel something evil clinging to him, refusing to release its catch. D felt his eyes roll back into his skull as he felt the thing's presence inside Leon's mind and he couldn't breathe through the pressure of its power. He could feel the monstrous presence trying to leap from Leon and into him, but abruptly a sharp pain cut through the horrible pressure and he was released from its hold.

Leon had scrambled back into a corner, as far as he could get from D without leaving the room, his naked chest heaving in terror and agony. T-Chan was between them snarling at Leon and Q-Chan had his little fangs sunk in D's finger all the way to the bone.

"Enough T-Chan, Q-Chan," D ordered brushing his rabbit way from his hand, and wincing as the rabbit withdrew its fangs, "I'm fine now and it was my fault not Leon's." Q-Chan chittered angrily at the young count but flew back to his perch, the totestu, however, didn't cease in its aggressions towards Leon until the Count picked him up by the scruff of the neck. The totestu hung limply in D's grip but didn't look a bit remorseful.

"He was hurting you D," whined the totestu, shooting a glare at the Lion, who was still pressed into the corner.

"He was doing nothing of the sort; can't you see that he's in just as much pain as I am? I know you don't like the detective but that doesn't give you the right to be cruel to him," snarled the kami, enraged by T-Chan's spiteful behavior. Such was his anger that if Jill hadn't interfered at that very moment he didn't know what he would have done otherwise.

"D please don't blame him," Jill pleaded, distracted from T-Chan D looked over and saw that the policewoman was now standing, "You weren't breathing and he was just worried about your safety."

D relaxed his grip on the totetsu. What had gotten into him? That dark presence must still be there, trying to excite his anger. After realizing what had caused his uncharacteristic burst of rage it was much easier to calm himself, and after a few soothing breathes the kami released T-Chan.

"Jill," I took a deep breath, not knowing how this modern woman would take his information, "I'm afraid that the thing you saw and the thing that just tried to fill this room with wrath is a demon, what kind I don't know. Though considering what Leon has been turned into, some kind of African demon would be the most appropriate." My multicolored eyes never left Jill's as I told her my theory. Emotions flashed through her so quickly they were hard to identify; shock, disbelief, terror, and then her face became unreadable. Her closed down face was a bit disconcerting but D continued after giving her a moment to soak in the new information, "I can't begin to unravel this curse," and a curse it was if they were dealing with a demon, "until I know exactly what demon it is, and unfortunately African lore is not my strong suit, as humans would say. But I do know someone who is very knowledgeable about African magicks, though getting her help will be costly, in ways you cannot imagine."

/////

_Leon._

The police detective could barely hold back the whimper that wanted out after hearing _it_ in his head.

_Where are you Leon?_

Leon pushed himself tightly into the corner, his bleeding leg was curled against his chest, but the pain that goat thing had caused him was forgotten when he began to hear that monster's voice in his head.

_Leon. Answer me._

The lion shivered, biting his tongue to keep himself from answering and clamping his ears back to try to keep out the voice.

_That won't work Leon, I am your master and you must obey me. Now answer me!_

It was the first time Leon had heard the thing become angry and it filled him with a vindictive pleasure. He knew from his years as a cop that anger stemmed from fear, but why would that monster be afraid of him? The voice was now screaming at him.

_Answer me you rotten cur! Where are you?! Do you think that spirit can help you! Nobody can help you! Your MINE you hear me?! MINE!! _

The thing was roaring in his ears and his head was pounding but suddenly he felt better than he had since he'd been changed. This monster in his head was not his master, he didn't have to obey him and he was still Leon Orcot, not some creature's pet. For the first time he responded to the voice in his head.

_No I am human, and I belong to no one asshole._

Leon grinned, or what passed for a grin as a lion. Even as it screamed threats and described the horrible tortures it would inflict upon him Leon couldn't help but laugh, albeit hysterically. He was still himself and he would die before he let that white bastard steal away his humanity.


End file.
